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March 28, 2008

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Friday she thought the International Olympic Committee made "a mistake" in awarding the upcoming summer games to China but said she would not support a boycott of the upcoming competition.

Many have raised concerns about China's human rights record, especially its trade with Sudan and its response to recent upheaval in Tibet, and have called for America to send a message to the world by withdrawing from the games.

Like President Bush, however, Pelosi believes a boycott would cause undue harm to America's athletes.

"I believe a boycott of the Beijing Olympics would unfairly harm our athletes who have worked so hard to prepare for the competition," Pelosi said in a statement.

However, she was quick to criticize the host nation.

"Sadly, the Chinese government has not lived up to its commitments to improve the human rights situation in China and Tibet."

Pelosi has previously sponsored a congressional resolution criticizing the decision to award the games to China and recently returned from a trip to India, where she met with the Dalai Lama and spoke out against China's recent crackdown on social unrest in Tibet.

Jimmy Carter started this "boycott" c*ap. He was DEAD WRONG. If you want to protest, go to the UN or whatever. The olympics should be the ONE TIME that people from all over the world meet, compete, and grow from the mutual understanding and appreciation of the human spirit. It should not be used for political statements. Protest all you want elsewhere but leave the atheletes alone to do what they do best... astonish us with their physical and mental accomplishments. Politicans... just stay home and watch reruns of Seinfeld.